Archives For Illusion of control

One of the perennial issues in regulating the safety of technological systems is how prescriptively one should write the regulations. At one end of the spectrum is a rule based approach, where very specific norms are imposed and at least in theory there is little ambiguity in either their interpretation or application. At the other end you have performance standards, which are much more open-ended, allowing a regulator to make circumstance specific determinations as to whether the standard has been met. Continue Reading…

With a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Systems Engineering, Matthew Squair is a principal consultant with Jacobs Australia. His professional practice is the assurance of safety, software and cyber-security, and he writes, teaches and consults on these subjects. He can be contacted at mattsquair@gmail.com